With the many possibilities for digital media to meet the real world today, few artists manage to seamlessly blend traditional methods with modern digital techniques. Sunwoo Moon is an artist that thrives in this emerging style. Her journey from traditional stone sculptures and bronze casting to VR/AR, metaverse, and media art is a testament to her innovative spirit and commitment to pushing the boundaries of art and technology. This case study delves into Sunwoo Moon's career, her experience with GarageFarm.NET, and her contributions to media art.
Sunwoo Moon's artistic journey began with a deep appreciation for the works of Bokjin Min, a first-generation sculptor of modern Korean art. Inspired by Min's sculptures, Moon embarked on a path that led her to reinterpret these traditional forms using modern digital techniques. Her piece, "Happiness, Family Month (2024)," is a prime example of this fusion, where she juxtaposed heavy sculptures with light clouds, balloons, and bubbles through media art. This work, displayed at the Min Bokjin Exhibition Hall, beautifully encapsulates the emotion of joy inspired by Min's mother-child and family sculptures.
After graduating from university, Moon entered the industry in January 2018, initially focusing on VR/AR content. Her career took a significant turn in 2020 when she applied real-time augmented reality content to an exhibition by artist Noh Hae-yul. This project sparked her interest in media art, leading her to expand her work into this innovative field. By 2022, Moon had joined Giant Step, where she played a crucial role in planning media art content and exhibition spaces.
Moon's expertise spans VR/AR, metaverse, and media art, areas that enable her to create immersive and emotionally resonant experiences. Her work is characterized by a unique convergence of reality and virtuality, where art meets technology. This blend allows Moon to develop new perspectives and provide audiences with innovative visual experiences through effective user interaction.
Her transition from traditional to digital art was not straightforward. Moon initially proposed and managed VR/AR and metaverse projects as a side venture. This hands-on approach allowed her to gain valuable experience and ultimately led to her desire to work as an artist, displaying completed works in exhibition halls to offer unique experiences to audiences.
The journey from conception to execution of a media art piece can be technically demanding, particularly in terms of rendering. Moon first discovered GarageFarm.NET while preparing for a media art project at the Min Bokjin Exhibition Hall. Faced with the daunting task of rendering a 5-minute piece at 3,840 x 320 resolution, she turned to GarageFarm.NET for assistance.
Moon's experience with rendering video projects during workshops and graduation projects had highlighted the physical challenges of rendering full 3D videos. The burden of completing rendering tasks on time led her to explore render farm services, and GarageFarm.NET stood out due to its user-friendly interface and supportive customer service. The service's easy-to-follow manual and the ability to communicate quickly with the Korean support team via KakaoTalk proved invaluable.
Moon's positive experience with GarageFarm.NET was contrasted by her difficulties with other render farm services. While using another service, she encountered unfriendly plugins and, crucially, a lack of access to even a single frame of her project file when her credits ran out. In contrast, GarageFarm.NET's seamless process and reliable results reinforced her decision to stick with their service.
For the Min Bokjin Exhibition Hall project, Moon rendered approximately 4,500 frames for a 2-minute and 30-second video, which she then edited into a 5-minute final piece. Without the use of GarageFarm.NET, Moon estimates that it would have taken over two days to render just 300 frames on her workstation. The render farm significantly expedited the process, enabling her to complete the project within the designated period.
Moon primarily used Blender 3D for her projects. The most challenging aspect of her work was the short project timelines and the need to screen her work at the exhibition site every one or two weeks. This frequent screening meant that any issues not apparent during initial work had to be corrected promptly, consuming significant physical and time resources.
The project relied heavily on data obtained from 3D scanning the artist's work. To preserve the integrity of the shapes, patterns, and textures, Moon avoided retopology work, which resulted in very heavy project files. Despite these challenges, she successfully completed the project in about two months, from planning to rendering.
Using GarageFarm.NET was not without its challenges. Initially, Moon set up the render farm incorrectly, leading to missing frames due to preview settings instead of full rendering settings. However, with assistance from the Korean support team, she adjusted the settings and achieved the desired results.
Moon appreciated the affordability of GarageFarm.NET, especially as an individual artist. She also received credit sponsorship for collaboration, which eased her workload. The 24-hour service response provided peace of mind, allowing her to focus on the creative aspects of her work.
Moon is particularly excited about the integration of AI tools in the industry, such as Runway and ChatGPT. She has already used AI tools like Runway for producing demo videos quickly. Looking ahead, she is eager to delve deeper into Blender and explore new tools like TouchDesigner for future projects.
Moon wholeheartedly recommends GarageFarm.NET to other artists, citing the ease of tool application and the quick, reliable results. As for her future plans, she intends to prepare for contests and continue working on media art for personal exhibitions and competitions. Interested viewers can follow her work on platforms like Vido and her Naver blog.
Sunwoo Moon's journey from traditional sculpture to cutting-edge media art exemplifies the transformative power of combining art and technology. Her collaboration with GarageFarm.NET has been instrumental in bringing her ambitious projects to life, demonstrating the invaluable role of reliable render farm services in the creative process. As Moon continues to innovate and explore new tools and techniques, her work promises to inspire and captivate audiences, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in media art.
